“The people had a chance to take a deep look into their own future, and they think they better deal with it in a positive way than in a negative way. Otherwise, they’re going to be depressed today and for the rest of their lives, and that’s very bad," Thormaehlen told the Japan Times.

Although Thormaehlen first felt sorry for centenarians who he thought were "waiting around to die," a turning point came in 2006 when he spotted a photo in a newspaper of a 100-year-old smiling with a big glass of wine.

“A lot of the centenarians have experienced war, or the death of someone close to them. There’s a commonality in all the centenarians I’ve met. Nobody is aggressive. They are friendly, and have wisdom. Some of them have a particular kind of sense of humor. It’s really fun to work with centenarians,” the photographer told the Japan Times.